Trying to Save the Girl
by 41 Books of Me
Summary: Naruto finds Ino crying in an alley. That stupid Teme has done it again. Can Naruto save the girl from a broken heart?
1. Chapter 1

Well this is based off a fan request made by Chuck mcboundarybreaker. Thanks for the idea on a story. I promise I'll work really hard on it. P.S. This is before Sasuke leaves.

I don't own Naruto.

Trying to Save the Girl

Naruto was taking an ordinary walk down the street. The time was around midnight. It was normal for him. He liked to walk through town when he was bored, depressed, happy, anything. It was just a habit. Not a bad one either. It was refreshing. The cool air felt nice. What could you expect from it being this late?

Naruto hadn't been able to sleep. He kept thinking about the Akatski. He knew they would be coming after him eventually. He had even met two of their members on his mission to go find Granny Tsunade. Itachi and Kisame were their names if he was correct. An Uchiha and a deadly swordsman of the mist. Quite an excellent team actually. One could see attacks coming and the other could absorb chakra with his sword. Naruto wasn't afraid of either. He had fought an Uchiha before. Plus he fought and helped kill two of the 7 deadly swordsman of the mist.

Naruto's ears suddenly picked up on a noise. A very familiar noise too. He had heard that noise for a good amount of his life. Someone was sobbing. Rather loudly and depressingly for that matter. It sounded like someone had been heartbroken. Naruto could just tell by the sound.

He walked toward the sound and turned a corner to see a girl crying. She had platinum blonde hair and light blue eyes. She wore all pink and had her headband around her waist like a belt. Naruto recognized her immediately.

"Ino?" he asked cautiously. He didn't want to scare Ino. She looked bad enough already. Ino turned towards Naruto, slightly surprised.

"Oh. It's you. What do you want Naruto?" Ino asked coldly. Naruto frowned. Ino only called him by his name when she was extremely angry or just not in the mood.

"Nothing. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Ino looked at Naruto with a confused face. Why would he care? She was always bullying him and calling him an idiot. How could anyone like her? She treated everyone with disrespect. It was a miracle that Shikamaru and Choji still called her their friend. Ino began crying even harder than before.

Naruto didn't know what to do. She was worse off than when he first found her. Tears were sliding down her face faster than before and her sobs were getting louder. Naruto began to get sad himself. One of his precious people was suffering and he couldn't seem to help. Naruto did the only thing he could think of. He walked up to Ino, sat down beside her and hugged her. Ino's breath caught in her throat. Ino was dumbfounded. The idiot of the class, the boy she tortured for all of their academy days, the outcast, was hugging her, and she didn't deserve it in the lightest.

Naruto held Ino tighter as she began to wail again. This went on for the next 10 to 20 minutes. When Ino was finally done, she slowly laid her head down on Naruto's shoulder with the occasional sniff. Naruto laid his head down on Ino's and began rubbing circles on her left arm.

Ino was very comfortable. Naruto felt so warm and his shoulder was almost like a pillow. The drowsiness began to set in within minutes. Her light snoring was what alerted Naruto to the fact that Ino was asleep. He looked down at her face and laughed gently. She had a giant anime snot bubble inflating and deflating with every breath. It was adorable. Naruto slowly let go of Ino and picked her up bridal style before walking to his apartment.

Once at his apartment, Naruto opened the door and walked to his bedroom. He set Ino down on the bed, tucked her under the covers, and kissed her forehead, wishing her sweet dreams. Naruto then grabbed a spare blanket and pillow and headed for the couch. It was funny to him. He felt like he could sleep and never wake up now. It was almost as if he was only awake then so he could find and comfort Ino.

The next morning was chaos. For Ino anyway. Ino opened her eyes to find herself not in her bedroom or the alleyway. She was in a strange room and had no idea if she was still in Konoha. She looked under the covers. Phew, she was still fully clothed. She even had her ninja sandals on. Ino decided to get up and look around. This would be an adventure.

Ino quietly opened the door to the room she was in and tiptoed her way to the living room. She was alerted of another presence by loud snoring and a foot hanging over the back of the couch.

Ino slowly looked over the couch to find Naruto sleeping with his head hanging off the front of the couch, his pillow in his arms, his blanket covering his left leg and his stomach, and his right leg hanging over the back of the couch. It was a strange way to sleep, but Ino couldn't keep from admitting that she thought it was cute. The moment was broken though when she noticed the ever growing pool of drool that lay under Naruto's head. That was disgusting.

Naruto began to stir and Ino shrieked slightly. This awoke Naruto further and he looked up only to fall face first into his drool bath. Ino began laughing heartily. Naruto grimaced as he raised his head.

"If it's so funny, then why don't you join me?" he asked sarcastically. Ino laughed even harder. Naruto stood up and wiped his face off. He then sat down on his couch and looked at Ino. "Gonna blow a fuse oh mighty princess?"

"Stop it…..Let me catch my breath…..ok." Ino then hopped over the back of the couch and landed next to Naruto. Naruto turned to her. His face was nothing but seriousness. Ino was surprised.

"Why did I find you crying in an alley last night?" Naruto asked. He wasn't going to let Ino avoid the question. Ino's eyes darkened slightly.

"It was because of Sasuke-kun," she admitted slowly. Naruto frowned. What did the Teme do to Ino?

"What did he do?" Tears began rolling down Ino's face as the painful memories resurfaced. Naruto was alarmed by this and hugged Ino like he had done last night. Ino leaned into his embrace with no protest and sobs escaping her mouth.

"I asked him out. It was so simple and so innocent, and he rejected me again. It was so horrible. He called me a spoiled rotten brat that asked for the world and didn't deserve what she had. He said I was worthless and might as well go die in a hole. He was so cruel. He just turned around and walked away from me after that. Why was he so cruel? WHY?!" Naruto couldn't watch Ino suffering. He held her tighter and whispered into her ear.

"I don't know why he did that. What I do know is that you can get through this. You're strong. He just can't see it. I can though. It doesn't matter what he says. You are strong. Very strong." Ino began to calm down from Naruto's words and snuggled into his chest. She was warm in his arms. Naruto blushed. No girl had ever done this before. Heck, this was maybe the second time a girl let him hug her in his whole life. Ino was soon asleep again.

Naruto picked Ino up bridal style like last night and slowly carried her back to her house. He knocked and waited for Ino's parents to open the door. Ino's mother was the one who answered.

"Hello?" she asked before noticing Naruto standing there with Ino in his arms bridal style. She quickly grabbed Ino and began yelling. "Get away from my Ino demon child! Go back to the hell you came from! You're not wanted here!"

The door was quickly slammed in Naruto's face. He just turned around and walked away. She didn't need to yell that loud. He got the point.

Naruto turned toward the training grounds. He had a Teme to find. Punishment was on its way.

Ino awoke in her bedroom. That was a surprise. She thought she would still be at Naruto's apartment. Oh well. She would thank him later.

"Hey mom," she called out.

"Yes honey?"

"What happened to Naruto? Did he bring me home?"

"Oh don't worry about that demon. I sent him away as soon as you were safe inside." Ino's mother smiled. That wasn't what Ino was doing.

"WHAT?! Naruto's not a monster! He's a good person! He helped me when I needed help and you sent him away like he had the plaque! The only monster here is you!" With that, Ino walked out the front door and began wandering Konoha in search of her new friend.

As Naruto came in view of team 7's training ground, he found the one person he had been looking for. It was the teme himself, Sasuke.

"Hey Teme!" He yelled at the young Uchiha. Sasuke turned toward the voice and soon scrunched up in annoyance.

"Leave me alone Dobe!" he warned. Naruto ignored him brought his fist back and punched Sasuke straight in the nose. Now Sasuke was good at fighting, but when you never knew what Naruto wanted or was going to do next, it was hard for him to see the attack coming.

Sasuke stood up. His eyes were blood red from the sharingan and burning with a passion to destroy Naruto. His nose was bleeding profusely and looked like a faucet. No words were needed as he charged toward his opponent. He began to pull his fist back before suddenly did a front flip and kick Naruto straight into the ground.

The attack took Naruto by surprise, but he was quickly up again and had over 50 clones with him. They all charged at Sasuke. A kick here a punch there, the attacks were endless. Sasuke had managed to evade them for the first few minutes of the onslaught, but began to get pummeled when a kick caught him in the back. After two minutes of attacks, Sasuke finally managed to use the substitution jutsu and appeared behind Naruto. All the Naruto's turned to see a giant fireball heading their way.

"Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke yelled. As the attack dissipated, he looked around to see Naruto lying on the ground fried. Sasuke laughed. He had hit the dobe good. He stopped laughing, though, when his own injuries made themselves known to him. They were pretty bad. He had been hit for two minutes before he escaped the Narutos.

Naruto stood up and stared at Sasuke. Sasuke looked much worse off than him, but he knew the fight was far from over. All he had to do now was make Sasuke crumble before Sasuke made him. He summoned five more clones. They all charged at Sasuke and each clone hit him before Naruto shot out of the air and kicked him straight in the face.

Sasuke fell and Naruto with him. Sasuke was the lucky one though as Naruto fell into trap laid by Sasuke for training. A smirk grew on Sasuke's face. Looked like the training traq he set up earlier came in handy. Naruto struggled again the net of ninja wire like a fly caught in a spider web. It was no use though as he was tangled. Sasuke began throwing kunai and shuriken at Naruto. Each one cut Naruto as it flew in between the strands of ninja wire.

"So tell me Dobe," Sasuke began. "Why did you attack me out of nowhere? I did nothing to you." A kunai flew by and cut Naruto's cheek.

"You hurt Ino-chan. You called her worthless you teme!" A shuriken cut deep into Naruto's left thigh.

"That's why you're doing this?" Sasuke asked with a laugh. "Your bonds make you weak Naruto." Two kunai sliced Naruto's shoulders. Naruto saw his chance at that moment. As Sasuke threw his next shuriken, Naruto spit in his eye. The haywire shuriken flew right into one of the threads holding him and sliced it clean through. Naruto's right arm was freed and he quickly grabbed one of his own kunai and cut himself free.

Sasuke was standing wiping his eye clean when Naruto popped up behind him and kicked him into the air. Ten clones appeared on Naruto's shoulders during Sasuke's flight. The top clone was doing a handstand and kicked Sasuke back towards Earth when he arrived at his destination. Sasuke hurtled to the ground and created a crater that was 15 feet wide upon impact.

The clones dispersed and Naruto slowly limped his way to the edge of the crater. Sasuke lay in the middle staring weakly back at Naruto. He stood up and went through three quick hand signs before his left hand began crackling. Naruto summoned a clone and began creating a rasengan. When the two attacks were fully charged, the boys charged towards each other. Both attacks connected in the opponents' stomach. Sasuke's chidori didn't get to run Naruto through like normal because of the force of Naruto's rasengan sending him back. The chidori still cut Naruto's stomach though. Sasuke hit a tree and slumped to the ground while Naruto clutched the slice that had been put in his stomach.

Naruto again limped towards Sasuke. He checked the Uchiha's pulse and then walked away when he was sure that the boy was still alive. Naruto was quickly onto the streets of Konoha and walking toward the hospital. That was when Ino finally found him.

"Naurto!" she screamed as she rushed towards the fatally wounded blonde. "What happened?!"

"I taught that Uchiha a lesson for hurting you." Naruto smiled. Ino frowned at him. How could he do that? Even if he did it for her, she wasn't going to let him off the hook.

"You're such an idiot! You look half dead and probably are for that matter!" Naruto just smiled at her again before passing out. Ino quickly caught Naruto and held him in a hug. He was such an idiot. She then put Naruto on her back and began walking toward the hospital.

"What do you mean you won't treat him?!" Ino yelled at the receptionist behind the hospital waiting room desk.

"I mean that me and all other doctors and nurses in this hospital refuse to heal that damn monster! Now go take him out to the dumpster so he can die where he'll go with the rest of his kind when he dies." Ino was shocked. How could she say that? Naruto was a good person and deserved to be treated as one.

"I'll heal him," a voice called from behind her. Ino turned to see the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade, standing there. She then began to lead Ino down the hall. "Come on we better hurry."

That's the end of chapter one. Are you all happy with how long this chapter was? Good. Please review and please no flames.


	2. Chapter 2

Well here's chapter two. Any of these chapters after chapter one could be the end of the story. I don't know myself when it will end. That's why I ask that you please don't ask when it will end. Thank you.

I don't own Naruto.

Trying to Save the Girl

Chapter 2

Naruto had been in the hospital for five hours now. Five hours of not getting to see her friend that was fighting for his life. Five hours of worrying if he was going to survive. Five hours of wishing for his safety. Five hours of torture for poor little Ino who sat outside Naruto's hospital room, knowing that he was being healed by only one person. She knew how low his chances were. That only made her nervous jitters worse.

Finally Tsunade exited the room with a grim face. This couldn't be good.

"Well there's still the chance of death, but he should make it. He always seems to." Ino began crying. That idiot had done this to himself. He fought Sasuke and got himself put in the hospital with a chance of death. "You can go see him if—"

Tsunade never got a chance to finish as Ino was past her and inside the room within seconds. Tsunade turned to see Ino beside Naruto's bedside holding his hand. She was crying heavily. She had been crying a lot in the last few days. She was so weak.

"I'm so weak. I've just been crying for the last few days. You fought Sasuke because of how weak I am."

"Ino-chan isn't weak," Naruto mumbled in his sleep as he rolled onto his side. He quickly rolled back onto his back from the pain. Ino watched, tormented, as he writhed in his sleep from the pain of his wounds. When she next saw Sasuke, She was going to kill him.

Dozens of nurses and doctors suddenly wheeled the recently thought of bastard past Naruto's door. He was awake and staring straight at Naruto as he was being cared for. Tsunade and Ino growled at the same time. That bastard didn't deserve all the love, care, respect, and attention he received. Naruto did. He had been tortured, beaten, and mocked and yet he still was kinder and more deserving of all those things than Sasuke.

Ino stood slowly. Her eyes looked like Naruto's eyes when he was surrounded by the Kyuubi's chakra. She was out for the kill and Sasuke was her target. He was going to get what he truly deserved. A kick in the nuts to kill his damn arrogance. That bastard was going to get Hell from Ino. She began to exit the room and walk down the hall when a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She turned her head to see Tsunade shaking her head angrily.

"It's not worth it," she told Ino as she herself tried to calm down.

Ino looked shocked. How could Tsunade, the hokage, who looked at Naruto as if he were her own grandson, say that? She cared for Naruto more than everyone except for Jiraiya. Ino's shock dissipated as Tsunade walked back into the room and began working on Naruto's wounds again.

"Do you want to hear a secret? It's S-class so if you tell anyone I'll have to kill you. It'll explain why the villagers hate Naruto and why he was ignored by most of his peers." Ino looked confused. How could an S-rank secret explain the villagers' cruelness.

"Yes," Ino nodded.

"Do you remember your lessons on the Kyuubi and the fourth's fight? Well it's not fully true. The Kyuubi wasn't killed. It was sealed inside a newborn child. That newborn was Naruto. That's why all the villagers hate him. They tell their children to avoid him and so he's always alone. People just don't understand how cruel they're being to this poor child. It's not his fault. He was supposed to be a hero." Tsunade began to cry. How could the village treat him like this? He had saved it so many times and this was the reward he got.

Ino just stood there trembling. The Kyuubi was inside of Naruto? Ino took off running down the hallway. This was too much to take in. How could someone so kind and sweet be so dangerous? The Kyuubi was the most powerful demon in the world. How could Naruto be its container?

Ino stopped suddenly. There in front of her was the Sasuke's room. The door was open and he was staring at her. Ino's fear increased. Sasuke broke her heart and only had one goal. He wanted to gain power to kill his brother. It was scary to think that someone so heartless was allowed to live freely.

Ino started to back away then froze. Naruto had a heart. The Kyuubi didn't. Why was she so scared of Naruto?! She should be more afraid of Sasuke. She turned right around and began running back to Naruto's room. She needed to see him. He was such a good person and she just treated him like her mother wanted her to. She wasn't going to be her mother. She had to apologize to Naruto.

Naruto had woken up a few seconds after Ino ran out. Tsunade explained to him what happened. She had run away. She was scared of him. Of course she was. Everyone was. He began to cry into Tsunade's shoulder. He had helped her. He had taken care of her. He hated to admit it, but he had fallen for her too. She was just so nice to him and he just couldn't stop thinking about her.

That was when the door burst open. Ino was standing in the hallway. Her hair was a mess and she looked ashamed. Naruto couldn't guess why, but he didn't want to hear it. He slowly removed himself from Tsunade's arms and laid back down in the bed with his face towards the window.

Ino was surprised and happy when she saw Naruto was awake. She was so scared for him. She needed to apologize. It looked like he had been crying. Tsunade must have told him what happened. Ino frowned. That wasn't good. She then watched as Naruto pulled himself away from Tsunade and laid down facing away from her. She really needed to apologize.

"Naruto," she called timidly. "I'm so—"

"I don't want to hear it. I thought you were my friend. Guess not. Apparently the curse of the Kyuubi child has struck again. Now I have one less friend. If you're trying to earn forgiveness then you're gonna be working for a long time. I don't care if you have a good reason to be forgiven. You led me on. I fell for you. Then you ran away when you learned my secret. If I can't trust you to stand by me when learning my secrets, then I can't trust you as a friend. I bid you farewell." Naruto and Ino both had tears streaking down their faces like waterfalls. Ino fell to her knees.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you this way. I was scared and stupid. I was scared of the stupid Kyuubi. I thought it would hurt me. Then I saw Sasuke and wondered why people like him with no heart were allowed to walk the streets and get so much respect. That was when I realized it. The Kyuubi has no heart, but you do Naruto. You probably have the biggest heart in the village. Please forgive me. I'll do anything. I didn't lead you on if I might like you." Naruto turned to look at Ino. She was crying and he looked at her face, looking for hidden malice, but found none. Naruto sighed.

"Fine. I'll give you one chance. That's it. If you can't earn my forgiveness in that chance then it's no more. Got it?" Ino nodded. "Good. Let's get out of here now."

Naruto stood up and began walking out of the room. Ino gasped. How could he do that? He was just sent to the hospital with fatal wounds only two hours ago. Naruto noticed Ino standing in place and turned back to her.

"What?" he asked examining himself for anything strange.

"How…?" Ino asked in a surprised shitless voice. Naruto realized what she was talking about and quickly explained.

"If I die the fox dies. He doesn't want to die so bam he always heals me."

Ino's face was pale. The heartless murderer of thousands helped save the boy standing in front of her? It was too confusing. She just decided to go with it.

"Ok." The pair of blondes then began to leave the hospital.

"This changes nothing," Naruto lectured in a read-your-thoughts kind of way. Ino's face sunk downward.

"Kuso," she swore under her breath. The two then continued on their journey.

Well here's the end of chapter two. Please review and please no flames. Hidden 72 Monsters signing out.


	3. Chapter 3

Well hola everyone. I'm back! I hate my school. We go by blocking with Fridays having all of our classes in one day. That means I just had to finish a bunch of Algebra homework in one night instead of two. That's why, if I'm ever late with a chapter or story, you should blame my school. Not me. I can't tell Ino's mother's name because It hasn't been revealed and I can't think up Japanese names. Sry. Okami (I think that's the spelling) means wolf in Japanese. That explains the special clan I've made up.

I don't own Naruto.

Trying to Save the Girl

Chapter 3

Naruto and Ino had decided to stop by Icharaku after leaving the hospital. It wasn't a bad idea either as neither had eaten anything all day. They had just been too busy. So they finally arrived and ordered. Naruto of course got 20 bowls. Ino only got 2.

The pair both—surprisingly—finished their meals at the same time. Ino was amazed. She would never know how Naruto did it or where all of that ramen went. The two blondes then began walking towards the park.

It was a beautiful, windy day with a slight chill in the air. Completely refreshing. The Sakura blossoms were in bloom and the air smelled sweeter than candy. Naruto smiled. He had chosen a good day to get some company for a walk. He then turned towards Ino as she tugged at his sleeve.

"When will I be able to earn back your trust and friendship?" she asked nervously.

"I don't know. It'll just come to me when you're ready. Ino sighed. That could take forever.

"Is there any way that wouldn't make me have to work for months or years?" Her tone was bitter. Naruto laughed at it.

"Maybe. I'll try to think of one up. I'll trust you if you ever save me in a mission. I'll never forgive you if you die doing it though." Ino sweat dropped. That would be hard. The friends then began to walk in comfortable silence. They were just enjoying each others' company.

An Anbu suddenly dropped down in front of Naruto. He held out a scroll to him before explaining.

"Tsunade-sama needs you for a mission." Naruto groaned.

"This early after I got out of the hospital?" he asked depressed.

"Afraid so," and with that the Anbu was gone. Naruto sighed.

"See you Ino."

"I'm coming with you."

"What?"

"You said I could earn your trust by saving you during a mission. That's what I'm gonna do then."

"Fine. Just don't go killing yourself." Ino laughed at Naruto's over protectiveness. She didn't know why she hadn't noticed how amazing he was before. She just coouldn't stop thinking about him and didn't want to leave his side. Obsession? No. Addiction? Definitely.

With their chatting time wasted and over, Naruto and Ino headed out for the hokage tower. They arrived quickly and entered Tsunade's office with caution. Naruto had learned his lesson about entering her office from wall breaking punches, sake bottle knife throws, desk bludgeoning. It was a bad idea to wake up Tsunade by barging in. It only caused pain.

The two walked in to see Tsunade wide awake and working on paperwork. Naruto screamed and ran behind Ino. Tsunade was doing paperwork. He did something worth being killed for. He was so dead.

Ino stared at Naruto confusedly. Why was he so scared? The hokage was doing homework. So what? She then saw the icy cold killer intent floating from Tsunade. She literally saw it. Ice began to cover the room. It kept moving toward the two. Tsunade then looked up saw who was in her office and all the ice receded.

"Sorry. Thinking about something." Ino could figure it out. Try to kill the hokage's "grandson" and your gonna be on their kill on sight list. Naruto calmed down and came back to face the now happy Tsunade.

"What's our mission Granny?" A chair flew from beside Tsunade's desk and hit Naruto straight in the face. He broke through the wall and landed in a heap. His legs dangled over the bottom of the hole and Ino was quick to pull Naruto back into the room.

"Don't call me that brat! The mission is B-ranked. You'll be watching a camp of rogue ninja that's getting too close to the village. Don't be seen, heard, or smelled." Naruto interrupted her abruptly.

"Why don't we just take them out?" he asked with a bored look.

"We're trying to avoid conflict as much as we can. It'll do well for the village."

"Well what did you mean by don't be smelled?" This time it was Ino who interrupted Tsunade.

"It's another clan like the Inuzukas. They've got wolves though instead of dogs. Gotta be careful." Naruto smiled and began to walk out of the office.

"Okay Granny. We'll have this—" Ino's hand grabbing him by the collar and pulling him back interrupted him.

"We don't know the location stupid." She then sat Naruto down in the chair that wasn't thrown into the hallway.

"Just head out the west gate and you can find them. It's easy really. Remember the both of you. Stay downwind." With that, the pair exited the hokage's office. They split up once they were outside and met back up at the west gate when they were both packed. Naruto led the way and the two were quickly jumping from branch to branch.

"I see them," Ino whispered urgently as she grabbed Naruto by the collar once again and pulled him to the branch she was standing on. Ino stuck her finger in her mouth and tested the wind. They were lucky and she found themselves to be downwind of the camp.

"What now?" Naruto asked in a quiet voice.

"We have to watch them to make sure they don't head for the village."

"Sounds too easy." It turned out it was. Too wolves appeared behind the team. Naruto turned slowly and smiled nervously. "Good doggy."

"It's a wolf stupid!" a voice shouted as two figures jumped up to join the wolves. The person who spoke, now revealed to be female with long auburn hair and freckles, noticed their surprised faces and laughed. "Surprised? The camp is a fake. Our real camp is about 30 feet that way."

Naruto and Ino followed her finger to see a fire's light coming from the opposite direction they had been looking. The second figure, a female with jet black hair that was pulled back into two long pony tails that turned into a belt, smirked at the two cornered blondes.

"Feeling stupid yet?" Naruto laughed at this question.

"I should be asking you the same thing!" Naruto and Ino then poofed out of existence.

"SHADOW CLONES!" the two girls yelled.

"What do we do Haksi?" the hair belt asked the auburn known as Haksi.

"Same as always Mishi. We track them." Haksi and Mishi then snapped their fingers and the wolves that had been traveling with darted off in the direction of Naruto and Ino's scents.

Naruto stood in a cave that stood about 12 feet tall and 8 feet wide. He looked around cautiously, noticing every nook and cranny. When he was satisfied, he returned to the entrance of the cave and called for Ino to join him inside.

"Kind of musty, but it will do for hiding." Ino sniffed disapprovingly. It smelled like dead rats.

"Fine. I guess I can put up with it." Naruto laughed at Ino's reluctance before flinching. He heard a branch snap and knew only two things that could do that. Humans and ninja wolves/dogs. This wasn't going to end well.

"Ino get down!" Naruto yelled as he tackled Ino to the ground. She was about to yell when an explosion erupted from farther down the cave. Kunai with exploding tags. They weren't alone anymore.

"Well well. Looks like our prey didn't realize that wolves can track just as well as dogs if not better." Naruto looked up to see Mishi.

"Hey lady! Why is your hair roped like a belt?" Naruto asked with complete ignorance for what was happening. Mishi frowned. Why did everyone ask that.

"I have a name! It's Mishi. Anyway, this keeps my hair out of the way and looks stylish." Naruto nodded approvingly at her explanation.

"Not the time, Mishi!" Haksi yelled as she landed outside the cave.

"Sorry, Haksi," Mishi apologized.

"Where are your wolves?" Naruto interrupted the two. They looked at him before Haksi explained slowly so that Naruto could understand.

"We left them in the bushes. Our clan only uses them for tracking and hunting animals." Naruto laughed.

"That's a lot different from the Inuzuka clan!" Naruto kept laughing until he was pushed over to the side.

"Why didn't you get off of me you baka!" Ino yelled at him.

"Sorry," Naruto apologized sourly.

Another kunai with exploding tags attached ended their argument. It flew into the back of the cave and exploded. There was a large sound of crumbling afterwards.

"Can we get on with this?!" Mishi yelled impatiently. Naruto stood up slowly.

"I'm gonna take you suckers down." The girls at the cave entrance smirked.

"Wait! Mishi and Haksi? You're the two sisters from Iwagakure! The Okari twins!" The girls' smirks grew.

"That's our clan. The Okari clan. We tame wolves to help us hunt and train. We take pride in it." Haksi smacked Mishi upside the head.

"You weren't supposed to tell them that much!"

"Sorry."

A kunai suddenly flew in between the kunoichi. They looked up to see Naruto with five clones. Each one had a kunai.

"Come on all ready!" they all yelled as they charged forward. Haksi stepped forward and stood there like a statue. When Naruto was about to attack she suddenly sidestepped and elbowed him in the back of the neck. He hit the ground unconscious. All of the clones dispersed and Ino was the only one left with the twins.

She tried to escape to get help from the village, but made it as far as Naruto before Mishi did the same to her as Haksi did to Naruto. Everything began to fade to black immediately and panic set in. She better see Naruto alive when she woke up. She still needed to earn his trust. That was her last thought before her eyes closed.

Chapter 3 is done! I did it finally! This shout out goes to Chuck Mcboundarybreaker. I finished the story the same day I read your message. Hope this helps out with whatever is bothering you. Hidden 72 Monsters has signed out and been replaced with 41 Books of Me and I say goodnight to you all. (P.S. It's still the same person. Just a different pen name.)


	4. Chapter 4

Well now I'm typing up chapter 4. Wish me luck. Hope I don't fail miserably.

I don't own Naruto.

Trying to Save the Girl

Chapter 4

Naruto awoke in between two bodies. He looked up to see both Haksi and Mishi hugging him in his sleep. He blushed deeply and tried to move away only to find that they had tied up his hands and feet. Wait, if they were holding him like this. He looked down and sighed in relief when he saw that he was fully clothed.

Naruto looked around the little camp the Okari twins had built. He saw their two wolves laying next to a tree. No signs of any other ninja. That meant that the "camp" of rogue ninja was just these two. He noticed a shadow moving near the wolves. He looked up the tree and there was Ino. She was still unconscious and hanging upside down by one leg from a branch that was a good distance off the ground.

He tried to shout out to find that his mouth was gagged with a cloth. These two sisters were good. It was a good thing that he kept at least one or two spare kunai and shuriken in his pouch instead of his thigh holster. He slowly and quietly reached down into it and pulled out one. It took him a few minutes, but he finally cut the rope on his hands. He then cut his legs free and ungagged himself.

He stood up slowly so as to not wake up the sadistic twins and made his way towards Ino. It was a mistake. He stepped on one of the wolves' tails by accident. It howled in pain and he jumped back. He looked back. Haksi was up and Mishi was on her way to being battle ready.

He looked up to Ino again. She was awake too. He gave her a nod and took off running for the village. He couldn't do this on his own and shadow clones weren't going to help here. Mishi was tugging frantically at her sister's sleeve.

"We need to go get him. He's ours and he's escaping." She looked excited and ready for the hunt.

"He's heading towards the village. There's nothing we can do. We wouldn't be able to catch him." Haksi explained to her sister. "Besides, we'll catch him later. Foxes may be able to out think wolves, but they can't over power them." Mishi looked surprised.

"You mean that's the Kyuubi jinchuuriki?" she gasped. Haksi only had to nod. Mishi smiled happily. They turned when Ino started thrashing and yelling through the cloth gag the twins had used on her.

"Aw looks like little pony tail wants to talk." Haksi then took off Ino's gag.

"You stay away from him you bitches! He's mine!" Mishi and Haksi weren't the only ones to look surprised. Ino was the most stunned of them all. Did she really feel that way about Naruto? Well she was going through all the trouble of coming to a mission she wasn't originally assigned to just to earn his trust. That definitely said a lot.

"Shut up! He's ours!" Mishi yelled before slapping Ino. Ino's cheek started bleeding immediately. "He's our alfa! Our boy! Our pup!" Mishi was now being held back by Haksi. Ino just spit some blood onto the ground and smirked.

"You'll see. He'll come running back to save me. He loves me and I love him. He's my mate and you're just annoying little pups that are getting in the way." Ino laughed when they heard their slang coming out of her mouth. Ino just laughed even harder. She was going to enjoy her time waiting for Naruto. Even if it meant she had to wait to see her love again.

Ino blushed. When did she start loving Naruto? Was it when he saved her yesterday or whenever that was, or was it when he first hugged her? Probably when he first hugged her. His hugs were warm. Ino had an idiotic smile on her face as she thought.

Naruto had just arrived at the village. He entered quickly and headed straight for the hokage's office. He found out how excited Tsunade was to see him when the other chair hit him square in the face as the door opened. He got up and walked to her desk immediately.

"Ino needs help. The ninja captured her. It's the Okari twins. I couldn't save her without help. Please." Naruto was crying. Why was he crying? Ino was a friend. You cry when a friend dies on a mission. Not when they're only captured.

Did he feel something for Ino? Did he like her?! That would be strange. Then again, there are a lot of things to like about Ino. She's nice, fun, graceful, bright, and pretty. She was everything Naruto could ever want. Plus she accepted his secret. Why did she need to earn his trust back? She had it. No doubt about it.

That explained the crying he loved Ino. He wasn't even sure how it happened. It might have been when he was carrying her home. He just wanted to keep her safe until she was home. He even took back alleys to avoid people he knew would attack them instead of just running. He didn't want to risk it with her then and he wasn't going to risk it with her now.

"You have to get more people to help me. I can't save her on my own." Tsunade stood up. Naruto was crying. He never cried. He had a pretty much perfect poker face and it took a lot for him to show so much emotion.

"Consider it done. The only ninja I have to send right now are Neji, Sakura, Lee, and Shikamaru. Sorry that I don't have more." Naruto just smiled.

"I don't need any more. I'm ready with any team you set me up with." He then flickered out of the room and left a note behind. Tsunade picked it up. It didn't say much.

_Send the team to the west gate. I'll be there waiting._

That brat was gonna get it after the mission. She didn't have time for that now though and sat down before calling in an anbu.

"Gather these ninja for an important mission immediately," she instructed; handing the anbu a note with the names of the free ninja. The anbu disappeared without a word.

Naruto had been standing at the west gate for the last 20 minutes. How long was Granny gonna take? There wasn't much time before he was sure the twins would start torturing Ino.

Meanwhile, at the Okari camp, Ino was asking questions for the twins to answer,

"Why are you going to Konoha?"

"We want the Kyuubi pup for mating," Haksi answered.

"Why does it have to be Naruto-kun?"

"When he gets older, he'll probably be the strongest shinobi in the world. Who else would we want?" Haksi answered again. It went on like this for about five minutes before Ino was told to shut up. Ino didn't of course and just started talking about other things.

"Did you ever like anyone in your village?"

"No," Mishi and Haksi both answered before Mishi walked up to Ino and began whispering in her ear. "I had a boyfriend and I want to get back to him, but Haksi won't let me go back until we get Naruto. I want nothing to do with him."

"You're a pretty good actor then. Especially with that slap," Ino whispered back.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. If you want nothing to do with it, then if we defeat your sister, will you head back to your village and leave us alone?"

"Pretty much. My boyfriend knows the whole situation. I'll just drag Haksi back to Iwagakure."

"Ok." Ino then passed out from blood going to her head. Mishi cut her down, flipped her rightside up, and tied her to the tree. She had to keep up appearences.

Naruto had now been waiting for an hour. Where were they?! He suddenly heard a noise from above. He looked up and saw his supposed team leaving over the wall without him. Granny sure could be a bastard.

He quickly followed them. They weren't going to leave him out of this fight. Plus it was getting dark and he knew they would be dead without his slight expertise on this group.

It was nightfall back at the camp. Ino had just woken up and it looked like her time to escape. Haksi was asleep and Mishi was looking the other way. She just needed to reach for her holster…and…there. The ropes were cut and she was free. Ino quickly climbed up the tree she was originally tied to and began her escape.

Then she saw the low burning fire and group of sleeping bags. Probably ninja heading for a mission. She decided to stop to see what they were sent to do. That was when the shadowy figure appeared and began sneaking around the camp. Ino quickly jumped into action.

She launched herself from the branch she was standing on and tackled the stranger. Her kunai was to his throat immediately. He looked up at her with recognition in his blue eyes. Wait. There was only one person she knew that had blue eyes other than her.

"Naruto!" she gasped before hugging him tightly. He hugged her back happily.

"I thought you were still captured. I was so scared for you," Naruto whispered frailly into Ino's ear. She blushed and smiled.

"I'm fine. You don't have to worry at all," she whispered back. Naruto hugged her with more force than before. He had small tears running down his face. Ino felt them. "Are you crying?"

"What?! Of course not!" Naruto yelled as he sat up, moved scooted towards the surrounding forest and looked away from her. He may have had tears running down his face but he wasn't going to admit it. Ino frowned. She missed his warmth.

Ino scooted herself next to Naruto and hugged him from the side like he had done the night he found her in the alley. He turned his head to her surprised. Ino didn't mind. She was basically purring. Naruto smiled and wrapped one arm around her waist; pulling her closer to him.

"You know Haksi wants you for mating right?" she asked suddenly. Naruto looked at her with a glad-I-escaped-that type of look.

"What about Mishi?" Ino smiled.

"She's on our side. She has a boyfriend back in Iwagakure. If we defeat Haksi, then Mishi will drag her back to Iwa for us." Naruto looked thoughtful for a few minutes before smiling.

"That makes it much easier." He then kissed Ino's forehead and pulled out his sleeping bag. Ino blushed. "I'm heading to bed. Good night." Ino blushed even more.

"Um…Naruto….I don't…have my sleeping bag…" Naruto's eyes opened wide. Was she trying to ask if she…? "Could I share your sleeping bag with you?" Yep, she was. Naruto blushed just as red as Ino did.

"Uh…..sure….I guess…" He then let Ino get in before getting in himself. He laid facing away from her and was blushing. Ino was doing the same. This was going to be awkward. They then wished each other good night and went to sleep.

Well there we go. I finished this chapter listening to MatchBox 20. Good band. Hope this isn't too fluffy or anything. Please review and please no flames. 41 Books of Me signing out.


	5. Chapter 5

Well right now it's 12:23 am on January 27, 2013. If this is new chapter is posted on February 27 or after, then you can hate me. Just please do it silently. (Ha! I'll definitely have this chapter done before then. That means no haters.)

I do not own Naruto.

Trying to Save the Girl

Chapter 5

Ino was awake before everyone else in the camp. If her memories of last night were correct, then she was currently sharing a sleeping bag with Naruto. If that was true though, then that meant that she was currently wrapped in his arms. This would be embarrassing.

Ino wanted to move to avoid an awkward situation, but she was stuck in place do to how comfortable she was. It was a great mental battle that was happening in Ino's mind. It was her brain versus her heart and muscles. Let's just say that the battle leaned heavily for a loss on her brain's part.

Ino was blushing very badly and it only got worse when she felt Naruto pull her closer. She really hoped he woke up before anyone else did. Just to avoid a scene that could embarrass her. She kept thinking like that until an idea hit her. If she loved Naruto, why was she scared to be seen loving him? She didn't have any answers and with that fell back asleep.

A few hours later, Naruto had woken up to a similar situation. He was more thinking by the lines of "Ino's gonna kill me when she wakes up" though. Let's just say that it his sense of self preservation had finally woken up after years of fighting enemies with no worries of his own injuries. He knew that he wouldn't die at those times. Here, he wasn't sure.

He then felt Ino begin to stir. He could hear her slightly heavy sleep breathing leave and her normal breathing pattern return. This wasn't good. He was so dead. She was going t—

"Good morning Naruto-kun," Ino mumbled as she rolled over so that she was facing him and wrapped her arms around his neck in a gentle hug. Naruto's face turned redder than a nosebleed. Did she really call him Naruto-kun?

"I-Ino?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah?" she asked back drowsily.

"Did you call me Naruto-kun?"

"What about it?" Naruto's blush exploded from his cheeks to his whole face. She did call his name with a suffix. Why?

"Why?" Naruto really hoped that he wasn't wrong about this.

"Because I love you, baka," Ino mumbled. She was still half asleep and aware of what she was saying, but not in control of it at all. She was really scared.

"I love you too Ino-chan," Naruto whispered into her ear as he pulled her closer. It sent tingles down Ino's spine and she was awake immediately.

"Y-you do?" she asked quietly.

"Of course I do," Naruto replied before kissing her forehead and falling back asleep. Ino smiled. He could be so funny and cute. Well she wasn't going to be getting up with him holding her down. Might as well go back to sleep.

Naruto was awakened by a soft kick in the back. He opened one eye and looked around to see what he had to wake up for. His immediately sat up when he saw the group of people surrounding him. Ino was still holding on to him and therefore was dragged up with him when he sat up. She was now awake, but she wasn't going to let go.

"Great. First we have to deal with losing you and now we have to deal with surprises like this. This is so troublesome. How is Ino even here?" Shikamaru asked tiredly. The team stood around them. Each of them had their own respective reactions and faces. Shikamaru looked tired, Neji looked amused yet serious, Lee had a youthful face with a happy smile for his friends, and Sakura looked extremely surprised.

Ino smiled at Sakura's reaction. She had a lot to explain to her later. Like why Naruto and her were sharing a sleeping bag. And why she was in his arms and holding on to him tightly. Yeah, there was a lot she needed to explain.

"Well since you caught up, I guess you're part of the team. We can find out about how Ino escaped later. Let's pack up and go," Shikamaru instructed.

"Wait!" Ino yelled. Everyone turned to look at her. She became slightly nervous. "Um….we only need to defeat the red head. The black haired girl with a hair belt will gladly take her back to Iwa if we do…" Everyone except for Naruto looked at Ino funny.

"Hair belt?" Sakura asked with an are-you-crazy type of tone. Naruto decided to explain this time.

"She wears her hair in two pony tails that come down and wrap around her waist like a belt. It's apparently supposed to keep the hair out of her way during work." Shikamaru just shook his head.

"Okay we won't attack the girl with black hair. Let's go." The team was immediately packed and into the trees. Their destination: the Okari camp.

"You let her escape?!" Haksi yelled as she punched her sister. Mishi just sat on the ground after receiving the punch.

"I didn't realize she left until this morning when I came to wake you up," she pleaded in her defense. Haksi wasn't going to accept her cries.

"You're going to get it for this!" Haksi raised her fist as Mishi began to cower.

"Leave her alone!" a voice yelled from the trees. Haksi and Mishi looked up.

"Naruto-kun!" Haksi yelled.

"I know you want me for the mating to get the Kyuubi's chakra, but I won't let tha-" Naruto was cut off by a yell from Haksi.

"Fuck the Kyuubi! I want you!" she yelled.

"WHAT?!" everyone including Mishi yelled out in surprise.

"Ever since I saw you before our clan got driven out of Konoha by the Inuzukas, I've loved you. Your perfect hair, sky blue eyes, kindness, determination. I want you all to myself." Naruto stared at her with a horrified expression.

"Y-you've been stalking me my entire life?" Haksi just smiled and nodded.

"I claimed you back then and promised to come back to get you. I just hid the fact that I wanted you behind the idea that I wanted the Kyuubi." Naruto—unconscious from fainting—was being held by Lee and Neji, while Shikamaru and Sakura held Ino back. She was throwing countless threats and insults at Haksi.

"Naruto-kun is mine you bitch! If you lay a single finger on him, then I'm gonna murder you in the slowest and most painful ways I know! I'll cut off your ugly red hair and strangle you with it! I'll rip out your throat and feed it to your dog! You flat-chested wolf fucker! I'm gonna murder you!" Sakura had never seen Ino this angry. Everyone was pretty surprised by Ino's behavior.

"You'll have to come down and get me to-" Haksi never got to finish as Ino flew towards her so fast she was a blur and punched her. Haksi was down and out with that one blow. Ino didn't stop punching Haksi until she was finally pulled back by Shikimaru and Sakura again.

Mishi walked up to Ino and smiled. Ino began to calm down and soon smiled back at her friend.

"Thanks. I'll take her back to Iwagakure for you. I hope you and Naruto do all right." With that, Mishi picked up her sister and took off for the Hidden rock village.

"Naruto-kun!" Ino gasped as she remembered about Naruto being unconscious. She raced up the tree Neji and Lee were in with Naruto and took him from them to try and wake him up.

Neji and Lee joined Shikamaru and Sakura on the ground. They all set up camp while Ino sat on her little tree branch with a sleeping Naruto in her arms. She wasn't going to leave his side. He had saved her so much over the past few days and now she was going to save him. She still needed to earn his trust back anyway.

The End

I think that was a good ending. Anyone else? Please review and please no flames. Thank you. 41 Books of Me signing out. Have a good night.


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